School of Agriculture

SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE

ANNUAL ASSESSMENT REPORT 2012-13

GUIDING QUESTION RESPONSES

1. What are the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for your unit? How do you inform the public and other stakeholders (students, potential students, the community) about your SLOs? If your unit is accredited by an outside source, please attach the letter verifying your accreditation.

A student who graduates from the School of Agriculture should be able to:

1. Display knowledge of the local, state, and national agriculture industry and education system. 2. Perform critical reasoning, perceive assumptions, and make judgments based on the basic principles of animal science, plant and soil science, and agricultural economics. 3. Utilize sound decision-making techniques necessary for solving profitable farm and agribusiness management problems. 4. Identify prominent agricultural pests with their associated benefits/damages and the current management practices applied. 5. Demonstrate advanced knowledge and skills contained within courses for their chosen agriculture degree option. 6. Identify and successfully pursue employment opportunities in his/her chosen field of the agriculture industry.

The Student Learning Outcomes are measured through student performance and responses on exams, quizzes, laboratory exercises, case studies, homework assignments, reports, and presentations. The SLO's are communicated to the public, community, and other stakeholders through our UAM School of Agriculture website. We intend to include the SLO's on the next publication of our academic unit brochure that is distributed to all sectors of the public including prospective students.

The learning outcomes are posted on the School of Agriculture website at

under a specific heading. We do not have a separate accrediting agency.

2. Describe how your unit's Student Learning Outcomes fit into the mission of the University. The mission statement can be found in the General Information section of the catalog.

UAM MISSION STATEMENT

Unit Learning Outcomes

The mission the University of Arkansas at Monticello shares SLO 1

with all universities is the commitment to search for truth

and understanding through scholastic endeavor.

SLO 2

The University seeks to enhance and share knowledge, to

SLO 2

preserve and promote the intellectual content of society, and

to educate people for critical thought.

The University provides learning experiences that enable students to synthesize knowledge, communicate effectively, use knowledge and technology with intelligence and responsibility, and act creatively within their own and other cultures.

SLOs 3, 4, 5

The University strives for excellence in all its endeavors. Educational opportunities encompass the liberal arts, basic and applied sciences, selected professions, and vocational/ technical preparation. These opportunities are founded in a strong program of general education and are fulfilled through contemporary disciplinary curricula, certification programs, and vocational/technical education or workforce training. The University assures opportunities in higher education for both traditional and non-traditional students and strives to provide an environment that fosters individual achievement and personal development.

SLO 6

The first paragraph of the UAM Mission Statement (UAMMS) states the commitment to search for truth and understanding. This search for School of Agriculture students focuses on all levels of the agriculture industry and education system and is embodied in our first SLO ? that all School of Agriculture graduates display knowledge of this industry and this system. To successfully conduct this search, our graduates should master applications of the three elements of our second SLO ? critical reasoning, assumptions, and judgments.

The proper application of these elements within our animal science, plant and soil science, and agricultural economics disciplines is exemplified in the search for truth and understanding through scholastic endeavor. This application also fits directly into the second paragraph of the UAMMS of enhancing and sharing knowledge, preserving and promoting the intellectual content of society, and educating people for critical thought.

The third, fourth, and fifth SLOs for School of Agriculture graduates represent specific applications of learning experiences with regard to decision-making techniques, prominent pests and current management practices applied to them, and advanced knowledge and skills related to their chosen degree option. These applications reinforce classroom principles through the learning experiences of our students as described in paragraph three of the UAMMS within their own and other cultures.

The sixth School of Agriculture SLO is the identification and successful pursuit of employment opportunities by students in their chosen fields of the agriculture industry. UAM strives for excellence in all of its endeavors and seeks to assure opportunities for students from all backgrounds. The School of Agriculture, in similar fashion, strives for the same excellence and provision of opportunities.

Accomplishment of these SLOs and the elements in the UAM Mission Statement do not just happen. The School of Agriculture faculty members communicate the six desired student learning outcomes to prospective students through individual inquiries, alumni referrals, and booth displays presented at field days, career days, and other public meetings. Each prospective student is given the URL of the School of Agriculture website and a copy of the School of Agriculture brochure (Appendix I). An overview is provided of the agriculture degree programs, the options available, and other program agreements that the School has established with other institutions. Each student name with address is provided to UAM Admissions so the student can receive the general admissions package and a follow-up letter is sent to the student from the School of Agriculture Dean.

Current students are reminded of the learning outcomes through the specific objectives stated in each course syllabus. These objectives communicate the learning outcomes on a more detailed level with focus on that respective course. Over half of the agriculture syllabi are available, by course, on individual agriculture faculty websites. The student first goes to the School website and then opens a faculty member's website to find the hyperlink for a specific course. Syllabi examples for three courses are provided in Appendix I.

School degree plans are shown on the website under "Degree Programs" at by each agriculture degree option with all required/optional courses Possible eight-semester plans for each degree option are also listed in the website at . School of Agriculture Student Learning Outcomes are listed on the School website at . Prospective and current students will also find more detailed learning outcomes listed within specific course syllabi goals. Learning outcomes are stated at the beginning of each semester in an oral manner on the first class day and distributed in written form on respective course syllabi.

3. Provide an analysis of the student learning data from your unit. How is this data used as evidence of learning?

Evidence of learning may be found at both the course and degree levels. Course level data to measure achievement of the six School of Agriculture student learning outcomes begins with the

extent that students improve their test scores from the beginning of a semester to the end. Pre/post test evaluations were conducted for the seventh year in Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 on eight courses. Results by individual course are listed in Appendix II. The eight courses tested in 2012-2013 were: AGEC 2273 Agricultural Economics, AGEC 4613 Agricultural Policy, AGEC 4623 Farm Management, AGEC 4683 Commodity Marketing, AGEC 4703 Contract Marketing & Futures Trading, AGEC 4713 Agricultural Finance, AGEC 4803 Agribusiness Firm Management, and AGEC 4823 Economics of Environmental Management. Pre-tests again were previous year final exams. The final exams for the respective Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 courses were used as post-tests for this year.

A comparison of the 2012-2013 results for students completing the courses indicated that student score improvement within the semester ranged from 50.61% to 62.05% by specific course. Magnitudes of point improvement are obviously influenced by the levels of the pretest scores. Four of the eight courses had larger point improvements over the semesters in 2012-13 versus 2011-12. The average pretest score in 2011-12, weighted by class enrollment size, was 24.49 and in 2012-13 this decreased to 24.48 for the eight courses examined. Post test scores for the same years increased slightly from an average of 79.37 in 2011-12 to 80.53 in 2012-2013. The average improvement also increased from 55.52 points to 56.69 points. These results are reverse from the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 semester comparisons, but the small magnitudes are likely insignificant from a statistical perspective. Comparisons of weighted averages of year versus year will continue to be collected for additional years to validate the initial findings. Both data from prior years and future years will be included in the analysis. Faculty members examine these numbers on an annual basis and will continue to make adjustments in course assignments/topics to improve any weak areas if they are identified in the future.

Multiple year summary results for the pre/post tests are presented in Appendix II. Fall 2012 averages are compared to Fall 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. The Spring 2013 averages are compared to results from Spring 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Faculty discuss the numbers at our annual academic unit meeting during the Faculty Development Week. Our data set has reached the size required to begin identifying long-term trends and consequentially any needed adjustments. Pretest scores for each course have been scatter-plotted with statistical trend lines in Appendix II. The plots show three courses had positive slope and five had negative slope over the time periods recorded. A trend across all courses cannot therefore be determined at this point. The full data set will again be reexamined collectively by School of Agriculture faculty during the 2013 Development Week. As the set expands over subsequent semesters, we hope that comparisons should better identify long term trends in student achievement and suggest areas of student strengths and weaknesses.

Collected student performance measures begin with grade distributions for the prerequisite courses in animal science, plant and soil science, and agriculture economics (See Appendix III). Pass rates are one indication of student learning in specific courses. By analyzing the pass rate each time that a course is offered, faculty can gain insights on the effectiveness of their teaching methodology and whether it is meeting the student needs. The changes in pass rates were compared by agriculture faculty during our regular August, January, and May faculty meetings. One item previously discussed in particular was the increased percentages of "F" grades in Fall 2010 core agriculture courses. Percentages of students receiving "F" grades in Fall 2011 and

2012 core courses were observed to have returned more closely to previous year averages along with the percentages receiving "W" grades. The faculty had interpreted the "W" numbers as favorable because students appear to be more cognizant of their course grade and taking action to preserve their Cumulative Grade Point Averages. This issue will continue to be closely followed with respect to the new "W" rules that became effective last year. The entrance of lottery scholarship-supported students was considered in the previous assessment report as a possible contributing factor to the number of "F" grades. Class attendance and relatively small class numbers have also been mentioned as possible factors in the changing percentages. The faculty members decided to continue monitoring recent year trend changes to determine if they are single year exceptions or a structural shift in the grade distributions.

The ultimate determination of student learning and university productivity should be the number of students graduating with a degree within a specified time period. The Appendix IV table contains the numbers of graduates as listed in the commencement program each May. School of Agriculture graduation numbers reached a low of 9 in 2004-2005 and have trended upward in subsequent years as shown in the table and accompanying graph to 22 in the 2011-2012 academic year, the largest number since 2001-2002 with 23 students. The 2012-2013 academic year saw our graduation number fall to 10 students. Discussion among the faculty noted that a large number of advisees are scheduled to graduate in December 2013. The reason for this lag in student graduation numbers is unclear at this point, but will be studied further in August 2013.

4. Based on your analysis of student learning data in Question 3, include an explanation of what seems to be improving student learning and what should be revised.

School of Agriculture faculty members plan to meet in mid-August, 2013 to review the previous academic year. Student improvement data presented for pre-tests/post-tests will be discussed. Several faculty members last year expressed the opinion that our incoming freshman class and other first-year students in recent years were of higher academic quality than previous years' averages. ACT scores of entering freshman students have been compiled for Fall 2011 and 2012. The scores were graphed against Cumulative Grade Point Averages of this class cohort as of the following summers. The expected positive correlation was observed for the Fall 2011 students with a few distribution outliers. The validity of these initial observations was checked again using the Fall 2012 freshman class. Graph representation of the results is provided in Appendix IV. Further data will be required to make statistically valid conclusions.

Ad hoc evidence was shared that more out-of-class factors such as extracurricular club activities, course field trips, and academic unit functions had improved student participation and thereby increased the level of learning. The Fall Semester Guest Speaker series was not continued in 2012 due to development of speaker scheduling conflicts. The School of Agriculture Dean plans to reinstitute this series in the coming year. The activity provides encouragement and vision to new and continuing students. Speakers of the previous three years had challenged our students with the expectations of future employers and expanded student vision of employment possibilities in the agriculture industry.

An issue that may require revisions is class attendance. Students may be obtaining notes and old exams with the perception that they can substitute adequately for daily attendance and notes.

The increased percentage of students receiving a grade of "F" in the previous academic year was discussed as a possible result of this perception. Faculty observed that the prevalence of failing grades fell in 2011-2012. Possible correlation with number of absences was examined with data on grades in selected courses and numbers of student absences. Graphs for the core courses of AGEC 2273 Agriculture Economics and AGRI 110 Agriculture Orientation are presented in Appendix V. The data revealed a negative relationship, i.e. fewer absences with higher grades, in the Agriculture Economics course. The Agriculture Orientation course typically has a high percentage of "A" grades that skew the distribution.

5. Other than course level/grades, describe/analyze other data and other sources of data whose results assist your unit to improve student learning.

A major method of collecting and analyzing data and identifying student learning successes and needs for improvement are the School of Agriculture faculty meetings held throughout the year. Minutes of these meetings are provided in Appendix V. Faculty discuss a broad range of items and seek to implement multiple strategies through the plans developed in these meetings. Four meetings were held regarding the 2012-2013 academic year. Major assessment issues discussed in these meeting included awarding of over $17,000 in academic unit scholarships to fourteen students, the better meeting needs of agriculture students through faculty training in Blackboard and other teaching technologies, and the annual unit strategic plan review and revisions.

The primary information source used in unit decisions, other than student performance, comes from the Graduating Senior Agriculture Major Survey. The survey is administered each semester to members of the AGRI 4771 SEMINAR course. Agriculture majors typically take this course during their final semester prior to graduation. Summaries of the Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 survey responses are presented in Appendix (VI). Agriculture faculty members review the compiled survey results during our annual Faculty Development Week unit meeting prior to Fall Semester. Suggestions are made to the School Dean regarding specific survey responses and possible unit adjustments in curricula. New questions that should be incorporated are developed based on curricula changes of the previous year. Curriculum changes may result from faculty analysis of the survey responses if a specific need is identified.

Additional information to determine unit decisions is gathered from student activity feedbacks and informal comments collected from graduates and their employers. Most student activities are followed up with a student report that expresses their opinions about that activity. Students receive class credit for simply submitting a complete, well-written report. Faculty then read the submitted reports to evaluate the appeal and effectiveness of the activity.

Success of an academic program is reflected in alumni personal comments after graduating. An example is School of Agriculture graduates contacting our faculty with notes of appreciation and offering suggestions and assistance for ongoing courses. A May graduate contacted Dr. Stark with a note of appreciation for his advising and encouragement. While the grammar error is a little embarrassing, the sentiments certainly validate the student concern provided in the agriculture program (Appendix VII).

An activity in its second year of implementation is the Horse Tales Literacy Project. Conducted in coordination with local region elementary schools, the project utilizes horses to encourage reading by public school students. The UAM School of Agriculture has cooperated in both Spring 2012 and 2013 under the supervision of Dr. Whitney Whitworth, associate professor of animal science, and agriculture students including Collegiate Rodeo Team members. The students and their teachers were brought to the UAM rodeo arena where they were able to interact with horses used by members of the university's rodeo team. After reading, the public school students were able to learn how to tack a horse, how to feed and care for a horse, how to groom a horse, and how a horse's feet are cared for by a farrier. The Horse Tales Literacy Foundation is a partnership of educators, businesses, volunteers, education foundations, and staff members focused on promoting literacy through the combination of live horses and classic horse literature. UAM agriculture students' learning is extended as they interact with the children and illustrate the animal husbandry practices (Appendix VII).

Another activity that has expanded student comprehension is the annual Arkansas Capitol visit by the AGEC 4613 Agricultural Policy class. The day trip involves cooperation by state legislators, especially from the Southeast Arkansas area, and is supported in part by the Arkansas Farm Bureau. Trip benefits include increased student activity with the local county Farm Bureaus and participation in the state discussion meet competition held at the Arkansas Farm Bureau State Convention each December. Students consistently compliment the information received on the trip and the opportunities provided to meet with state legislators. Field trips such as this across our curriculum enable students to see applications of their academic material and expand their employment visions. Support for UAM is enhanced. For example, an agricultural policy information meeting with our U.S. Senator, John Boozman, led to an oncampus visit in August 2012 to learn about the UAM/SEREC beef cattle research and extension programs. These types of activities reinforce principles put forth in classroom discussions and allow students to see how the principles are applied in actual agriculture industry settings. A news release and examples of student comments are found in Appendix VII.

The School of Agriculture administration and faculty monitor student numbers and distribution by class level (Appendix VIII). This information is based on data from the UAM Registrar's Office and can reveal trends in the total number of agriculture majors and the rate that students are advancing toward a degree. The expected number of students in the corresponding level of courses enables greater efficiency in classroom use and faculty time. Currently, the total number of agriculture majors has stabilized after four years of growth. Prior to the growth period, UAM agriculture student numbers had declined for a six year period. Financial concerns in production agriculture caused many freshmen to consider career choices outside of agriculture. A renewed effort has been made by agriculture faculty members within their course material to inform students of the expanding career opportunities in agriculture that exist for college graduates beyond the basic production sector. The School of Agriculture has also expanded its efforts to contact prospective students in Southeast Arkansas high schools and two-year colleges through career programs, recruitment fairs, and the State FFA Convention. Effectiveness of these efforts was planned to be examined through a freshman/first-year student survey administered in the Fall Semester Agriculture Orientation course, AGRI 1101, but time limitations prevented its implementation. The survey is now scheduled for the start of Fall Semester 2013.

Analysis of the data collected from these various sources is primarily done by the faculty member collecting the data and then shared with other faculty. Most data tends to be coursespecific or option-specific, i.e. plant & soil, animal science, or agribusiness, and the single faculty member in that option does the analysis. Information derived from the data may be shared informally with other agriculture faculty members or within the general faculty meetings held periodically during the year, but often is only applicable within the course or option where it was obtained.

6. As a result of the review of your student learning data in previous questions, explain what efforts your unit will make to improve student learning over the next assessment period. Be specific indicating when, how often, how much, and by whom these improvements will take place.

The School of Agriculture continues to take a multi-emphasis approach to improving student learning in 2013. Within courses, the Dean and faculty are again attempting to coordinate a Blackboard training session during faculty development week where all School of Agriculture faculty members will attend together. The Dean and faculty will build on this basic instruction in a subsequent Agriculture faculty meeting later in the 2013 Faculty Development Week. Utilizing new, available technology can facilitate learning in all School of Agriculture courses.

The School will continue to build relationships with the agriculture industry by reestablishing the Fall Guest Speaker Series jointly coordinated by the Dean and agribusiness faculty member. This series had proven interesting to the student body and was beginning to generate employment opportunities with the participating companies.

The Dean will continue to explore scholarship development possibilities. The 2012-2013 year saw two new sources continued with hope that a new scholarship will eventually be endowed for UAM agriculture students by the industry group. Similar potential support has been identified.

Faculty members are considering student surveys early in the semester of students' self-opinions in specific courses. A second survey would be administered at the end of the semester to see student perceptions of any changes in their level of understanding and ability. Individual faculty members will develop and administer the surveys within their specific classes. Comparisons may be made across classes following the Fall Semester.

7. What new tactics to improve student learning has your unit considered, experimented with, researched, reviewed or put into practice over the past year?

The School of Agriculture has determined three priority areas for action and the person or persons bearing the major responsibility for their completion. In order of importance they are:

a. Monitor student learning outcomes and student evaluations for all agriculture courses. This activity will continue to be carried out each semester by all School of Agriculture faculty advisors with the School Dean responsible for overall supervision.

b. Continue to have a State of the School Address presented during the faculty development week preceding the Fall Semester. This address will enable faculty to have an overview

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